Salem's Lot Reboot Finds its Creepy Child Vampire

Gary Dauberman's forthcoming adaptation of Salem's Lot has recruited some new actors, including its vampiric patient zero, a creepy kid who transforms the small town into a vampire apocalypse. The Stephen King adaptation has added young actors Jordan Preston Carter (The Haves and the Have Nots), Nicholas Crovetti (Big Little Lies) and Cade Woodward (A Quiet Place) to the stacked cast, which already features Lewis Pullman in the lead role of Ben Mears, Alfre Woodard as Dr. Cody, Makenzie Leigh as Susan Norton, Bill Camp as Matthew Burke, Spencer Treat Clark as Mike Ryerson, and Pilou Asbæk as Straker. Broadway standout John Benjamin Hickey joined the cast on Friday, playing Father Donald Callahan.

Carter will play Mark Petrie, a 12-year old boy who plays a key role in battling the vampires, while Crovetti will play Danny Glick, who becomes the town's first vampire. Woodward will play Danny's brother (and apparent first victim), Ralph Glick.

In Salem's Lot, author Ben Mears returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem's Lot in search of inspiration for his next book, only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire.

Originally released in 1975, the storyline has gone on to earn a number of adaptations over the years. The first adaptation came in 1979 as a two-part TV event, which was helmed by The Texas Chain Saw Massacre creator Tobe Hooper. In 2004, Rob Lowe starred in another two-part adaptation for TNT.

Hulu's Castle Rock serves less as a direct adaptation of King's works and instead borrows various elements from all corners of his lore to craft an entirely new narrative. The second season of the series heavily featured the town of Jerusalem's Lot and various other elements from the 'Salem's Lot storyline.

In 1978, King would publish the short story "Jerusalem's Lot," which he had written before developing the 'Salem's Lot novel. That short story took place long before the events of the novel, marking the first exploration of the unsettling events unfolding in the community. 

Salem's Lot is the latest in a long line of Stephen King projects to get a contemporary facelift, with movies like It and Pet Sematary making their way to theaters in recent years while Castle Rock brought together various King stories in a big mash-up as part of a fan-favorite Hulu show.

The movie is set to be released in theaters on September 9, 2022.